Robert Crovo, the city’s tax collector, addressed the Board of Finance as he gave his tax collector’s report on June 23 in Torrington. Crovo said his office is in good standing.
Esteban L. Hernandez — The Register Citizen

TORRINGTON >> The city received a draft of the forensic audit on the tax collector’s books last week, Mayor Elinor Carbone said Monday.

Carbone said she received a 275-page draft of the forensic audit investigating the office of Robert Crovo, the city’s tax collector, on Thursday, though the draft is far from the final product sought. The audit is being conducted by Ron L. Beaulieu of Portland, Maine.

The mayor spent the weekend reviewing the documents, which she said offer an extensive a review of tax information dating back to 20 years. Despite the breadth of the report, Carbone said work is still needed before conclusions can be drawn.

“The good news is it’s a very comprehensive report,” Carbone said.

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The investigation on the collector’s books is suppose to review all receipts, billings, billing practices, how underpayments and overpayments are handled, as well as how interest is applied to these payments. Carbone said its too early to tell if all these objectives have been met by the forensic audit.

“It’s riddled with all kinds of questions and comments,” Carbone said. “There is so much information presented. It’s a question of how is this information, putting it in context, whether it needs additional information.”

According to the original bid notice, a final report was due no later than June 30, though Carbone said it that was never a hard deadline but rather a target date.

Carbone said she is still trying to decide what additional information is needed for the document, which is one of the reasons she received a draft. She hopes to have a final and more cohesive report ready for the City Council during their second meeting in July. She plans on meeting frequently with Corporation Counsel Ray Rigat and Beaulieu to discuss the draft.

“I honestly think this is something that will actually get to the City Council by July 21,” Carbone said.

The 275-page document is not yet public information, Carbone said, because the accountant has not finalized the report. The audit isn’t just helping compile information sought by the city, as Carbone said it will help make decisions regarding the tax collector’s office moving forward.

The city had been awaiting the delivery of several relevant documents sought by Beaulieu since April. That month, the city sent a letter to Crovo’s attorney, Eliot B. Gersten of Pullman & Comley, requesting the documents.

These documents included sewer assessment information reports filed by Crovo from the fiscal years from 2006 to 2013. They include applications for sewer refunds, statement of refunds of excess payments, as well as the tax collector’s bank statements and other reports.

Both Carbone and Beaulieu separately said those documents have still not been received. Beaulieu had previously said that the delay in receiving the sewer documents would affect the original report deadline date.

Gersten said Monday he responded to the letter sent by Rigat, though he said he has yet to hear a response from the city. He added that any requested documents were handed over to the accountant.

Gersten said he’s confident the results will show no discovery of wrongdoing of his client in the past.

“We await news of the audit results but remain confident that the findings may offer possible improvements for future discussions,” Gersten said.

Beaulieu said he couldn’t share details about the draft because it’s confidential, which he said he sent to the mayor via email. He has been conducting a bulk of his work from Maine, accessing the city’s tax files electronically through a remote desktop program. Carbone said most of the documents Beaulieu needed were readily available through this medium, although the sewer documents requested by Beaulieu from Crovo were an exception.

The investigation took longer than anticipated, which is common in his craft. He often needs to work with new file formats or learn new programs to access information, Beaulieu said.

“It’s been more time than I actually projected,” Beaulieu said. “It’s just the nature of that type of work.”

The City Council and the city’s finance board approved the money for the audit in October, approving an amount not exceeding $76,000.

Carbone said most of the money approved has been expended, though she said there is “not a chance” that more funds will be needed.

The letter sent in April to Crovo’s attorney included a reminder that he was asked in June 2013 to turn over any unclaimed overpayments or refunds in his possession to the city and to turn over anticipated overpayments for the 2010 grand list on July 1. Overpayments are an area of concern for many residents, including some that have filed formal complaints against Crovo’s office for poor customer service and difficulties obtaining overpayments.

“That request still stands,” Carbone said. She said she expects the topic of overpayments and how they will be handled will surface once dialogue between the council and Crovo regarding the forensic audit commences.

A dispute regarding overpayments led to Crovo filing and later dismissing a case alleging breach of contract against the city; that case led to the city pursing the forensic tax audit. They city had approved up to $20,000 to use for a deposition in the case during the meeting in October that approved funding for the forensic audit.

The city has attempted to audit Crovo’s office before, in 2007, but it was not a forensic audit. The process took two years and had many limitations, mostly as a result of the office’s unwillingness to release documents the city was requesting.

About the Author

Reporter Esteban L. Hernandez is a reporter with the New Haven Register. He formerly covered Torrington for The Register Citizen. Reach the author at ehernandez@registercitizen.com
or follow Esteban L. on Twitter: @EstebanHRZ.